Atanas Laskov

Good Form

November 26, 2018 20:04 GMT

The most important element in any activity is the good form. For example, the efficient kick or a punch in a martial art is good form. Greeks called it Arete, and Buddhists call it skillful action. Simply, this is the efficient way to do a thing. Before talent, before practical skill, before persistent hard work, comes the good form.

Good form is not perfect form. But even the imperfect form can do the job; We make it as good as possible.

Each element of life has good form, including life itself. The good form of life has three pillars - Creating; defending; and enjoying. This is a very old reflection that I made for a project of mine. I made this reflection while walking in the urban wasteland in my native city. Even if that project was childish, the reflection was correct. Now it applies more generally to all of work. Creation, defense and joy are in order of importance, in proporion. Only when they are present life is good.

Finding the unity of important desires; This is happiness;
Acting in good state of mind, decisively, and systematically;
Choosing the place to live and work according to the following qualities: justice, opportunity, and learning.

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Right effort is part of good form. Right effort meas doing things that matter emotionally, in a way that matters. It means not doing things that are not passionate, not wasting time and energy for their kind.

Right effort will drop immediately, at no delay, everything that makes you tired. It mutates creative projects in such ways that they fit true passion. If you need darkness and horror, let it be dark and horrid, the thing you are making. Detachment creates mechanical work, mechanical work results in fatigue and suffering.

This is not contrary to persistence; It is the good form of persistence! If we apply right effort, there is no fatigue - there is only passion. In this way, persistence is enhanced, without sacrificing meaningfulness.